November 2023
November 2023
UP, UP AND AWAY
A few years ago I was on a flight to Mumbai - it was scheduled to take off early evening - but the entire day was stormy and everything was delayed. Our aircraft was a small one and the winds being stronger than what was permitted meant we had to watch other aircrafts take off while we sat in our cramped spaces, wondering whether the winds would ease out enough to be given permission to fly.
Outside was gloomy, dark, wet and windy. It didn’t seem like we would be able to make it out before sunset. Then the pilot announced that the wind speed had eased a bit and we had finally been cleared to take off. I don’t know whether I felt relief or fear!
Once we had taken off - the plane rattled and shook as the pilot pulled hard to get through the clouds. All my fears - except one (of crashing) - were coming to pass.
Once we reached above the clouds however, it was a different world altogether!
There is a world which we see - it is real - but there also exists something beyond what we see - it is there and it requires that we move toward it. We could see the skies and white puffy clouds painted a dramatic color with the setting sun - a sharp shift from the drab and gloomy to the spectacular.
The lives of the women we work with are like that. Stuck in a storm - waiting for their situations to change, they feel trapped as they see opportunities continue to pass them by.
When the time for change arrives - fear is their biggest companion.
One of our core values is this power of agency - the power of choice and toward that end, we choose to walk alongside each of these wonderful women as they overcome their fears and work toward a dramatically different future!
For some, this is a short journey to take off - for others it is a long wait on the tarmac before they are ready… nonetheless, our commitment to all remains the same.
Do reach out and connect with me if you would like to be a part of how each woman makes this dramatic shift through her dark clouds to a place that is bright with hope!
Thank you!
Max Fernand
Executive Director
There is no knowledge without courage.
- A woman from our Sanctuary in Mumbai, India
